Lost on the Lines

Last day in Buenos aires and where we going to go touring around visiting places?... Definitely not! We planned to relax.

Having woke up at 12pm and saying our goodbyes we headed for our next destination. We headed across town to our next house in acoyte. Access to the house was much like a prison cell door, with access to and from the corridor needed. We walked down an unpainted corridor with lots of cobwebs above to reach our destination door. We were immediately greeted by our host who was most welcoming and friendly.

The inside of the house was interesting.  There was a gigant space in tge middle allowing for the sun, surrounded by little bedrooms. There were two cats wandering about the place and the most beautiful drawings on the wall. We sat and chatted with the house for two hours before heading off to town. We walked past lots of street stalls selling clothing etc. 

An hour of wandering and it was time for us to visit our friend in Castro Barros. We got on the subway and realised that the lights indicated we were going the wrong way. We got off and changed direction, only to realise we were going the right way in the first place. So again we got off and switched direction. 

We eventually arrived at our destination, which was guarded by gigant black gates. Inside was an open plan building with a fountain to the side and a pool and patio
area out back.

We relaxed by the pool all afternoon chatting with our friend, before heading back to acoyte. We met with another friend there to go for pizza. 

Having eaten our pizza, we headed back to the train. Luckily catching the train we headed back for the house. We arrived at our stop and asked directions in a nearby restaurant before realising we got ofg on the wrong stop. We immediately ran to catch the next train. Luckily we managed to catch the last train and headed for the building. Everyone at the house was still wide awake and so we stayed chatting until early hours of the morning. We called it quits at 3am where we headed to sleep in our double bed.

Not looking forward to traveling in the morning.

Sara to post about Spanish lect...

No time for dilly dally

Having slept the night on a pump up mattress and sofa in our new swanky residence, we woke to go in search of some breakfast. We found a very cute cafe on the corner of an avenue, which displayed the most lovely looking cakes and pastries. We hid inside from the sun and indulged before heading back to the apartment. 

We decided to change and go to the pool on the roof for half an hour before heading to the city centre. We quickly changed our minds having felt how cold the water was and headed back down to get ready.

We caught the subway down to FUBA - a University in the centre where we met with the president.  We ate in the union canteen and interviewed him in Spanish before running to meet our next interviewee in a seperate location.

For the second interview we went to a posh cafe on the side of a street where we were sat opposite what looked like a mafia gang. We also interviewed this person in Spanish. Little to our knowledge, a friend of ours had arranged another interview for us directly after and so we completed that one straight after the second.

Tired, we headed back to the apartment to get ready to see our new host. He took us to a tango bar where we met with one of his friends. The entrance to the place looked much like an abandoned building, where a man sat behind a pop up table selling tickets. We continued up the stairs until we reached a large hall filled with people. There were paintings and ornaments all over the gigant walls and open windows that lead sight to the night stars. The roof looked much like that of a barnyards with wooden slats and crossover beams.There was a large stage with an equally large dancefloor, directly opposite a large bar and seating area. Next door was the kitchen and a large empty space, dotted with artwork.

We sat down at the tables and enjoyed watching some tango before ordering some interesting vegetarian food. We stayed until 3 in the morning, being treated to a scene play from a famous local actor, some proffessional tango and an array of songs from an accordian band.

We exited the club and headed back towards the apartment.  It being such a nice night, we decided to go to the roof and had some drinks. We stayed chatting until we heard the birds start to sjng and worryingly headed back downstairs to sleep.

No rest for the wicked Buenos dias..

Gold and Glamour

Contrary to our previous lye ins, today we got up early. Raring to tackle the day head on, we took the subway to the centre of town.

We arrived and headed straight to buy tickets in the grand theatre. These tickets having been sold out on our last visit, we were determined to get a set this time around. We successfully picked up tourist tickets, which were three times the price of a ticket if you were a local. 

With an hour to the tour, we visited a diner opposite. The place sold the most delicious croissants and the staff were very friendly.

We ate and headed back to the theatre for our tour. We entered the foyer with a group of Americans. The hall was very grand and boasted expensive materials and luxurious paintings and architecture.  There were statues around the place and lots of glass boxes containing the opera costumes from back in the day. We were taken around, where we were told of the materials, costs and uses of each area. The entire place was like a palace, surrounded in gold.

We entered the main seating area, where there was a beautiful view of the stage/place. There was a grand stage with a very large opera box. Above us way into the ceiling was a grand chandellier surrounded by a water colour painting. Both were seperated by a gold rim which could seat 15 musicians. On the corners of the ground tier was what appeared to be grids. We were told these were for the widows to watch a show where they were not to be seen by the public.

The place before restoration could host 3000 individuals and can now host 2700. The tickets varied in price back in the day with a sjngle ticket costing around five months pay. Going to a show demonstrated wealth and was utilised more for the social aspect as oppose to attending a show. Guests would arrive at least 1 1/2 hours before the show to gather and there would also be two 1 1/2 hours intervals. 

The guide took us briefly to the princes box, which was located directly next to the side of the stage. We were told that this was so that everyone could see him. The guide went on to tell us of the room acoustics. Because of the architectural build the sound in the building was amazing, with there being no need to use microphones in performances. He demonstrated this by singing us an opera song.

As the tour came to an end, we received notice that our intrrviewee could not make it and so we were free for the afternoon.

We decided to head back to the house and spend some time with our host. We ate some pizza and indulged in conversation before saying our goodbyes and heading to our next dedtination.

This one was a little further away in palermo where we walked over 15 blocks after exiting the subway to get to. Having finally arrived we entered the flat. It was a very nice studio flat, very modern and clean.

We unloaded our things before going for a drink with our new host in the local area. 

Tired and looking forward to bed.
Buenos noches Buenos aires

Dining like true Argentinians

Following our very late party we had a long sleep. Having rested for a very long time we headed back to fuba university. 

We bought some trinkets in the market near the institution before going to the student cafe, where set up our question box. We waited for the arrival of our newly made friend in thesun eating some empanadas. 

Our friend arrived and we chatted for many hours before having to head home for our meal. On our way back we passed the students union where we popped in to chat with the president of fuba, who agreed to interview us later on.

We got home and changed quickly before heading off to dinner. The place was two hours away and was located next to a walk with water and pretty trees. The place was made ofwood and had very nice furniture. Starters were very nice and consisted of an assortment of meats and cheeses. We endulged in champane and red wine before being served steak from three parts of the cow. All three were very tasty. They also had bread that tasted a lot like bara brith.

Having wined and dined, we were driven back to the house. We got through the doors at 2.15am and fell fast asleep.

Nos da Buenos Aires

Sleep all day and party all night

Sleep all day and Party all night...

Having slept until 11am, we woke fully rested and recovered. We were greeted with a lovely breakfast spread.

Having eaten, we got ready to go to a large market across town. The market was enormous and hosted lots of various stalls, selling things from pasties to clothes to travelling gifts. We walked around for a very long time before reaching the end of the market where the government had put on a play. There were people dressed up in marching wear opposite an eco market selling recycled items. The recycling market was most interesting and was decorated with lots of different coloured umbrellas.

Having bought one or two things including a matte pot to drink the local tea in, where i got lost for over half an hour, we headed back through the market to the car.

We drove to a small area which played host to many chinese supermarkets. We picked up some snacks from one of these to take to our party 30 minutes away.

We arrived at the house, which was located in a very small alley. The house entrance was most interesting. You had to climb these one foot stairs, similar to how you would enter an atic to reach the house. Once inside you directly entered the kitchen which was located next to the toilet and bedroom. Across from the stairs was a beautiful sun terrace where everyone sat. Once everyone had arrived, they put a large wooden flooring across the stairs, which then gave access to the fridge.

We sat around chatting to the many people we had met from all over the world before calling it quits at 12.30am. We were hungry and so popped to a local steakhouse, which was very busy to pick up a sandwhich to eat. The meat was delicious and the topped filling was nice too. Having finished eating we headed home where we fell fast asleep.
Long day, deserving rest..

Hit the road jack

Hit the road jack

Our luxurious hotel lifestyle having come to an end today, we made the most of our all inclusive breakfast. After paying for our hotel munchies we headed for colonia where we were to greet our couch surfing host.

Using our subte card for the very first time,  it was an interesting experience. The trains were covered in graffiti and we were greeted with a number of marriachi bands and individuals selling things we  arrived at the place and met our host who very much resembled David Guetta. We were shown to a quaint room where we were to stay. Having been at the place forfive minutes, we were invited to a pool party in a different town.We decided to go along. We met with one of his friends who was very friendly before driving two hours to our destination.

The house was beautiful; there was a pond next to the drive which was next to masses of green grass. The house was interesting combining traditional and open plan features.  There was Argentinian meat cooking on the barbecue next to a patio with lots of seating. Near the palm trees was a beautiful pool, filled with inflatables. People were sat and stood chatting, enjoying the sunshine. We jumped right in, greeting everyone and engaging in the conversation. We jumped in the pool and played some frisbee before taking part in a very competitive game of football.

As the night drew in we gathered some contacts for our research, said our goodbyes and headed back for the centre of buenos eires.We arrived at our friends parents house, where we had dinner. The house was very interesting, filled with paintings and books from around the world. We sat to eat at the table and shared in broken english/spanish conversation before being served the most delicious empanadas. These were followed by the very nice triple flavoured tiramasu ice cream.We left the house very late having been fed until stuffed and were walked to the bus station. We caught the bus to our new home and after spending ten minutes trying to figure out the lock, we headed for bed.

A very sleepy Buenos noches all :)

Doing the Tourist Thing – With A Sube Card!!

After yesterday’s lazy day in, listening to previous interviews and generally resting our feet from trotting along the city, today we did a bit of the tourist thing and explored La Boca. Earlier in the day we tried to get on a tour of Teatro Colón but all the tours were full by the time we got there. Still, the sun came out and the humidity dissipated just in time for our leisurely walk through the colourful neighbourhood, with its street market, street tango dancers and many café-restaurants. To top it up I visited the Museo de Bellas Artes de La Boca and fell in love with Juan Carlos Miraglia, an awesome bocaense painter & designer.

 

Por Juan Carlos Mraglia

Tomorrow we leave the hotel and start couch surfing. The exciting second half of our trip is upon us! I am looking forward to the possibility of interviewing some of the awesome students we’ve met in the past couple of days and getting to know a few more porteños. But the thing to note is that we’ve really started to feel comfortable in this pretty busy city!

Our sube card!!

Our greatest win of the day was finding a Subte Card! Let me explain how much this means to us… The only way to pay for public buses is by using coins. However, as the lowest bill is 2 Pesos, it is rare that one will get coins, unless specifically asking for change, which makes it excessively inconvenient to get on the bus. Alternatively, it is possible to get a plastic card (a bit like an Oyter card), buy credit on pretty much every corner and swipe in as one gets on a bus. However, whenever we asked a porteño where to get one of these cards, the answer was a roll of the eyes followed by “che, eso será difícil”. Well then, we asked at post offices and many shops where it is possible to charge the card until we were let into a well kept secret in Buenos Aires: you can get them from the newspaper kiosks on the street!

All day Siesta

All day Siesta

Today was the first day where we didn't need to walk a million miles to meet and interview anyone.

Instead of the usual non stop busy days, we decided that after lunch we would just relax.

We watched a couple of films and even had a little siesta.

Getting a little cabin feverish we headed for a very swanky place called not in my name, where we met with other members of the  UWC. 

The place was very nice, decorated in red and black. There were two seperate rooms, one with a dancefloor and one like a sitting area. There was a gigant screen with smaller screens around it, much like you'd see in the 70's and 80's playing a range of genred tunes. The seats were leather and the place was surrounded with the most unique and beautiful artwork.

We sat and had the special offer. The food was beautiful and really tasty as was the most unique toffee desert filling.

We chatted a while before heading back to the hotel to sleep.

Buenos noches compadres :)

Hasta la victoria

We had a busy day yesterday. To be expected when we have an interview, a law lecture, a demo and an assembly to attend. The day started at the grandiose Faculdad de Derecho (Law Faculty) where we sat in the cantine transcribing for an hour before Carys interviewed a law student in a smoky far away corner of a student café/bar.

Sara listening back to focus group tape.

Carys about to interview.

We then went to a Constitutional Law lecture with our law student friend where a very engaging professor talked about constitutionalism in John Rawls. Carys and I were put on the spot a couple of times on the UK’s constitutional arrangements (that GDL came in really handy here), as well as about our views on abortion (!!!). Later on, it transpired that this is a bit of a national debate on abortion going on, with students campaigning for its the decriminalisation. We also learnt that recent laws have allowed both gay marriage (2010) and gender self-determination (2012) –  and, amazingly, that both of these had a strong element of “judge made law”.

Sat in a Constitutional Law lecture.

From UBA’s law school we headed for a “Corte en Junin y Cordoba”. A demonstration which consisted of creating a block on the road, between Av Cordoba and Junin. We looked through the craft market and sat on the grass of Plaza Bernardo Houssay watching the skateboarders from the comforts of a breezy shade. But there were no signs of the corte, so we headed to the Faculdad de Sociales (faculty of social science) to catch an assembly of FUBA (Federación Universitaria de Buenos Aires). There we met some great people from one of the student political groupings in the uni and realised that both the corte and the assembly were running late so we hadn’t missed anything. Then, the real thing happened…

Sara & Carys at Student demo.

Student demo outside Economics.

Demo stops traffic,

It may be useful to briefly describe the university structures and the structures of student representation in Argentina. These structures differ from university to university but they exist in all public institutions in one form or the other. Each university is headed by a Rector, which would be the equivalent of a vice-chancellor in the UK. Each faculty is then headed by a Decano or Dean, and there is an Academic Council which elects the Dean. The composition of this Academic Council tends to include about 8 Professors, 4 Students and 4 Graduates. Above this faculty level there is a Consejo Superior or Superior Council which is composed of all the Deans, vice-deans, graduates and students. In Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), it is this Superior Council, made up of about 13 faculties which elect the Rector, but in Lomas de Zamora University the Rector was elected by a General Assembly, where students are also represented. Some students believe the system works despite the necessity to stand by the rights conquered throughout the years, but others will tell us that in fact each professor who votes is worth 2000 student votes and that both professors and graduates are handpicked so student voice has little impact through the formal channels. Por esta razón, salir a la calle es esencial.

FUBA assembly I.

UBA students mobilise for a number of worthy causes including the recent increases in the metro prices and in solidarity with oil refinery workers who have been wrongly accused of murder in the context of a labour dispute. However, the hot issue of the moment is the election of the new Rector at UBA which is due to happen on December 5^th, which will generate as much student resistance as the recent election of Deans at faculty level. The students feel they do not have a voice in this process despite the principles of co-governance which are a legacy from the 1918 Reforma and they feel the next Rector will be handpicked by the government, despite the pretence of a democratic process. Furthermore, they fear that the person who is about to be appointed (most likely the vicerrector and peronista Alberto Barbieri), will be a supporter of the privatization of higher education and thus a threat to the principles of equality and equity which underpin a free/public higher education system. Nonetheless, student opposition to the election of the present Rector, he was still elected.

FUBA Assembly II.

By the time we left the FUBA assembly (which started at about 9pm!!) it was late and we were starved and exhausted. However, we were also certain that there could be nothing more topical than the issue of private v public university provision and that what sustains the debate is a strong and bold student movement.

Dim Syniad

Dim Syniad :$

We woke up to the local time today :). Having rested we headed down to breakfast where again we stocked up with multiple sittings.Nice and full we went back up to the room to prepare for the day. 

We decided to hunt for some postcards and then the postoffice to send them.We avoided masses of crazy traffic on the way. People seem to ignore lights here, both pedestrians and drivers, they just cross or go where there's a gap. It was really sunny, definitely a day for shorts and sunglasses.  There were even individuals selling ice creams to traffic that had stopped.

We had no idea where we were going and so spent a full hour trying to find the postoffice, that turned out to be not far from our hotel. Having sent our postcards we bypassed the presidential offices, which was both beautiful and interesting. The building, pink and pretty was surrounded by trees, statues and fountains. Although it was a sight of beauty not far from it was protest signs and banners covering some statues and grounds.

We rested our tired legs at the hotel for half an hour where yet again I fell asleep before heading to meet our Argentinian friend at cafe tortoni.We were greeted and hushed off to catch the combi bus. Which reminds me that I'm yet to mention the bizzare way of sayinghello here. They tilt their heads to the side and give a single kiss on the cheek. They do this to say both hello and goodbye. My grandad would be most shocked if he knew I had to kiss most people we meet on the cheek. He always had to chase me for hours for a kiss.

Anyway... We got on the combi bus and headed an hour away to our friends University. Still no idea what it is everyone was saying apart from hola, adios, gracias and bueno. I'm picking up on some words but I'm still clueless as to what anyone is saying.

We arrived at our destination, an appearance of which was most different to what we had seen in the city. The buildings were a lot more torn down and old. Like the films yousee shot in old America. Although much like the city centre, there were many political banners hung and printed and sprayed.

We arrived at Universidad Nactional de Lonas de Zamora where to our surprise we were told we were to meet the pro vice chancellor. Feeling underdressed we headed for the building. Inside the building student party banners were hung everywhere. It seemed very direct to one party of which we were told have been in power for a number of years. They had won the last election with 58% of the vote.

We were taken to a room where we met the pro vice chancellor and two politically elected students. I'd like to tell you what we spoke about but in all honesty I've no idea. The entire conversation was in Spanish so I had to concentrate very hard to pick up bits. We were given a brochure on the University before the students agreed to do an interview.

Again I felt like a muppett, having sat through an hours Spanish interview not having a clue what was being said. Lucky for Sara really, having her bilingual skills gives us better opportunities for our research.I took pride in handing over some USW and Welsh pin badges to the students, who were greatful for the gifts. Having wrapped up the techy instruments, they brought us some university pins and gave us a tour of their building. We said our goodbyes and headed for the combi bus home.

I sat through yet again some Spanish conversation before we reached the centre of Buenos aires and we walked back to the hotel.Having spent the majority of the day feeling like I was doing a sponsored silence, it was a relief to speak with Sara in English. Which is absolutely wonderful but my do I miss speaking Welsh! Having eaten our left over pizza we clocked off for the day.

Nos da Argentina

#NUSGLOBALEXCHANGE    #NUS

A brave new world of student politics...

Today we had a taste of the fantastic breakfast at the hotel, learnt how to credit our own Argentinian mobile, met UBA students from UBA's Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (Philosophy and Humanities) and Faculdad de Derecho (Law).

Today we conducted our very first interview which was both exciting and insightful! We found some interesting parallels between what students campaign for in South Wales and Buenos Aires, but also strong advocacy of the merits of a public higher education accessible to all.

Visiting a uni for the first time, we were in awe at the vibrancy of the "centro de estudiantes" and the bustling political activity, with student political groups on a permanent campaign along the corridors of the centre.

UBA Faculty of Law

Tomorrow we're headed even further afield and the promise is of more to tell!

Spanish compadres and jelly legs

Spanish Compadres and Jelly Legs

Sooo I may have accidentally set my alarm for 5am as oppose to 8.30am, which means we had three hours to kill until breakfast. The three hours flew by as we made our way eagerly down to the cafe. 

It was as anticipated, continental to the last croissant. We made the most of the buffet, having both sandwhiches, cake and yoghurt in two servings. The breakfast area was very compact but cute, where we met a lovely English gentleman.

After food, we headed back to the room in preparation for our first meeting. To our surprise our friend's father turned up at the hotel as we were about to leave. He had kindly brought us a Spanish phone to use. He walked us to the shop so that we could credit the phone before escorting us to the cafe where we were meeting our Spanish friend.

We had coffee in this very posh cafe. The surroundings were beautiful and dated back to the 1800's. Following coffee, Gaiska agreed to come back to the hotel to be interviewed.

We headed back to the hotel where we interviewed him. Following the interview we wrote up the discussion and got ready to go to our second meeting.

This one was at a law school a little further away. We bypassed a beautiful park on the way, which had very colourful trees and interesting wildlife. He gave us a tour of the building which was highly interesting. It could only be described as hogwarts builton top of a subway. The students' union was very interesting. Just a small boxed room in this run down corridor. The corridor was interesting too, it was surrounded with political party posters. There were parties campaigning too, apparently they campaign all year long. After we had walked the corridor and was approaching the exit we passed what seemed to be a corridor of remembrance. This corridor acknowledged alumni that had represented the country politically as president... there were many.

We resided in a ferrari cafe opposite the columned grand institution. We talked over a coca cola until our friend had to leave for yoga. He kindly agreed to be interviewed on Wednesday and invited us to a guest lecture afterward.

We said adios to our Argentinian compadre and headed for home. Taking the alternate route, we passed some beautiful buildings. An hour later we arrived at our square. We decided to pause for a much enjoyed pizza before heading for a well earned sleep.

Buenos Noches Compadres

Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda

Lego flag at the airport. I want one!

We thought we were waking up at 10am but it appears we set the alarm on the wrong clock so it is actually 7am!! The joys of jetlag!

However, we have a very exciting day ahead, with two meetings set up, one in Café Toritini and another one in the School of Law at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA).

So the plan is to have as much of the free breakfast as we can and then head out into beautiful Buenos Aires for our first full day here. And what a majestic city this is! We shall go back to Plaza de Mayo and take the photos we didn’t get yesterday!